Tuesday, May 6, 2008

The three Services chiefs Tuesday met Cabinet Secretary K.M. Chandrashekhar over their demands for revision of a pay panel’s recommendations relating to the armed forces personnel. “The three Services chiefs discussed the Military Service Pay (MSP) for PBORs (Personnel Below Officer Rank) with the cabinet secretary, among other issues,” an army source said.

Navy Chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta, Air Chief Marshal F.H. Major and Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor and senior officials discussed the “anomalies” in the pay packages of armed forces personnel.

The meeting, earlier scheduled for Monday, was postponed to Tuesday. The cabinet secretary will now forward his views to the cabinet, said an official.

The Sixth Pay Commission, headed by former Supreme Court Justice B.N. Srikrishna, has recommended a 40 percent across-the-board pay hike for armed forces personnel, doubling their allowances and MSP for officers up to the rank of brigadier and equivalent, as also for PBORs.

Apart from pushing the case for PBORs, the Services chiefs have pointed out that after taking into account taxes and other deductions, the wage hike in real terms would amount to only 20 percent.

In the case of PBORs, the commission has recommended that at the entry level, sepoys (privates) and their equivalents receive a minimum of Rs.7,860, rising to a maximum of Rs.40,600 for Subedar Majors and their equivalents.

The commission has also recommended military service pay of Rs.6,000 for officers up to the level of brigadier and equivalent and of Rs.1,000 for PBORs.